Vocabulary and Concepts
PRIMARY colors- Red, Blue, Yellow
David's primaries- Utrecht's cadmium red medium, brilliant blue (mix of phthalo blue and ultramarine blue), and cadmium
yellow pure.
SECONDARY colors- purple, green, orange
COMPLEMENTARY colors- opposites/ the color on the far side of the color wheel.
The complement of a primary is the secondary made of the remaining two primaries
Red..................Green
Blue.................Orange
Yellow...............Purple
Know your complements to avoid making gray
Orange-red.......Blue-green
Purple-red.........Yellow-green
And so on around the color wheel
GRAY- neutral / the absolute center of the color wheel
All three primaries mixed in equal proportion
0 on the saturation scale
THREE PROPERTIES OF COLOR ARE:
SATURATION - How gray vs how clean (0-10 scale: 10 is the brightest most clean color- sits on the outside edge of the
color wheel): Brightness: intensity.
VALUE - how dark vs how light ("up" means lighter)
CHROMA - color
Warmer vs cooler
Coolest color traditionally is blue; warmest is orange, HOWEVER, it's all relative.
ANALOGOUS - whatever is next to something
Mix grays using colors analogous to a color
LIMITED PALETTE VS BROAD PALETTE
Limited palette- primaries and white
Broad palette- primaries plus others (secondaries, earth tones, etc., and white
PRIMARY colors- Red, Blue, Yellow
David's primaries- Utrecht's cadmium red medium, brilliant blue (mix of phthalo blue and ultramarine blue), and cadmium
yellow pure.
SECONDARY colors- purple, green, orange
COMPLEMENTARY colors- opposites/ the color on the far side of the color wheel.
The complement of a primary is the secondary made of the remaining two primaries
Red..................Green
Blue.................Orange
Yellow...............Purple
Know your complements to avoid making gray
Orange-red.......Blue-green
Purple-red.........Yellow-green
And so on around the color wheel
GRAY- neutral / the absolute center of the color wheel
All three primaries mixed in equal proportion
0 on the saturation scale
THREE PROPERTIES OF COLOR ARE:
SATURATION - How gray vs how clean (0-10 scale: 10 is the brightest most clean color- sits on the outside edge of the
color wheel): Brightness: intensity.
VALUE - how dark vs how light ("up" means lighter)
CHROMA - color
Warmer vs cooler
Coolest color traditionally is blue; warmest is orange, HOWEVER, it's all relative.
ANALOGOUS - whatever is next to something
Mix grays using colors analogous to a color
LIMITED PALETTE VS BROAD PALETTE
Limited palette- primaries and white
Broad palette- primaries plus others (secondaries, earth tones, etc., and white
Pigments - make the color differences
Utrecht brilliant blue (saturation - 10) mixed with Utrecht cadmium yellow lemon (sat. - 10) makes a green, however it is not a "brilliant" green because it is not a saturation 10.
Cadmiums - saturation mixes down rapidly: hard to keep clean; cadmium red mixes as though it is orange (don't mix purple with the cadmium reds unless you want gray).
We have two reds on the palette because cadmium red won't mix cleanly into purple: use alizarin red with purple.
On the palette, lay out your paints breaking between cadmium red and alizarin crimson as a reminder about how mixing
cadmium red will effect purple.
Transparent colors- stain; they change a color but not a value.
Opaque colors- the colors mex well; they change the value.
*Tip* Paint brush handles are tapered at the end so we can hold several of them together in one hand without the brushes touching.
Clashing color/garish color - disharmonious; slightly wrong "note"; happens when mixing outside of the triangle.
Luminosity - ALIVE color (think MONET)
Example - mix brilliant blue and alizarin crimson to make a Purple.
Target Mixing - most efficient way to get to a color; change FROM mixing a color into another color TO getting each color to the same value I want, then mix the two colors.
Optical Mixing - letting the eye mix the colors while the colors are separate on the surface. Optical mixing gives LUMINOSITY. VALUES are the key to successful optical mixing. From a distance, you will see the values; up close, you will see the individual colors.
Making Gray - anything without 100% saturation has all three primaries in it.
Paths to luminous grays:
Two complementaries
Three primaries in equal proportion
Three secondaries in equal proportion
Demonstration - green cover on model's stand
Make a pile of brilliant green + phthalo green + cad yellow lemon + white
Add some orange to one side
Add some dioxazine purple to the other side
Demonstration -
Green pile - take brilliant green and mix to the value I want by adding white: add some cadmium yellow medium.
Orange pile - take cadmium orange and mix to matching value by adding white; add some cadmium yellow med.
Purple pile - take dioxazine purple and mix to value by adding white.
Test values with dots in each pile; pick up three colors on brush and apply strokes.
Green pile - take brilliant green and mix to the value I want by adding white: add some cadmium yellow medium.
Orange pile - take cadmium orange and mix to matching value by adding white; add some cadmium yellow med.
Purple pile - take dioxazine purple and mix to value by adding white.
Test values with dots in each pile; pick up three colors on brush and apply strokes.
Technique - Culling the brush - squeezing paint out of the brush while on the palette.
*Tip* squint to see the shapes of values, not the actual values.
Value - similar chroma and saturation
Vanishing edges - similar colors that are the same value (example: blue violet); most successful in lower saturation.
Vibrating edges - the colors are too dissimilar and create an energy; not as harmonious; requires a high saturation
(example: green with orange)
Tangled Color - pick up two or more colors of the same value on the same brush and lay this down on the canvas in one stroke;
twist the brush; push and pull
Demonstration with blue and purple
Three piles: alizarin crimson + white; blue/green; purple/green
Lay down flat (all mixed together)
Lay down as two colors
Lay down as three colors
*Tip* squint to see the shapes of values, not the actual values.
Value - similar chroma and saturation
Vanishing edges - similar colors that are the same value (example: blue violet); most successful in lower saturation.
Vibrating edges - the colors are too dissimilar and create an energy; not as harmonious; requires a high saturation
(example: green with orange)
Tangled Color - pick up two or more colors of the same value on the same brush and lay this down on the canvas in one stroke;
twist the brush; push and pull
Demonstration with blue and purple
Three piles: alizarin crimson + white; blue/green; purple/green
Lay down flat (all mixed together)
Lay down as two colors
Lay down as three colors
Graying down a color - demonstration with Red and Green
Method #1 - two piles (red and green) to same value; bring together; makes a big dark gray stripe in center - DON'T DO THIS!
Method #2 -
Two piles: cad red lite (a) / aliz crim + diox (b)
Put white next to cad red & add bit by bit to edge (a)
Add cad orange, transparent orange & aliz crim to (b) (preserve yellow)
Took yellow to gray down violet
Separate pile: green & transparent orange
Method #3 - going from Red to Green without using green; take the complement and split into its elements - yellow & blue - and
add independently into the red - TRANSITIONS
RED
YELLOW SIDE BLUE SIDE
Cad red lite + transparent orange Alizarin crimson + white
More cad red lite + white + transp orange Alizarin Crim + white + dioxazine purple
Cad red lite + cad orange + green Diox + aliz crim + transp orange
Orange + green More diox
Red + orange + green Add blue
Add more green Add more green
Add destination green Add destination green
GREEN
"TRANSITIONS are what make the difference in a painting and a Masterpiece."
We are now adding pure color in neutral parts moving through the painting. Add purple strokes; add yellow ochre strokes. The stroke assumes the properties of the larger mass of color (i.e. look at something that's lighter, you'll see it as lighter). The same is true for temperature.
Illustration: Same gray square inside big red square and in big green square
Method #1 - two piles (red and green) to same value; bring together; makes a big dark gray stripe in center - DON'T DO THIS!
Method #2 -
Two piles: cad red lite (a) / aliz crim + diox (b)
Put white next to cad red & add bit by bit to edge (a)
Add cad orange, transparent orange & aliz crim to (b) (preserve yellow)
Took yellow to gray down violet
Separate pile: green & transparent orange
Method #3 - going from Red to Green without using green; take the complement and split into its elements - yellow & blue - and
add independently into the red - TRANSITIONS
RED
YELLOW SIDE BLUE SIDE
Cad red lite + transparent orange Alizarin crimson + white
More cad red lite + white + transp orange Alizarin Crim + white + dioxazine purple
Cad red lite + cad orange + green Diox + aliz crim + transp orange
Orange + green More diox
Red + orange + green Add blue
Add more green Add more green
Add destination green Add destination green
GREEN
"TRANSITIONS are what make the difference in a painting and a Masterpiece."
We are now adding pure color in neutral parts moving through the painting. Add purple strokes; add yellow ochre strokes. The stroke assumes the properties of the larger mass of color (i.e. look at something that's lighter, you'll see it as lighter). The same is true for temperature.
Illustration: Same gray square inside big red square and in big green square
There are many greens:
Gamblin cadmium green
Brilliant green + blue
Phthalo green + cadmium yellow lemon make many greens
Chalky - is the product of having white in paint to lighten the color
*Where the light hits the shadow is the greatest contrast of value; use as little white as possible to get the color you want; you want the higher saturation in the most lit area.
Red Ball Demo
Gamblin cadmium green
Brilliant green + blue
Phthalo green + cadmium yellow lemon make many greens
Chalky - is the product of having white in paint to lighten the color
*Where the light hits the shadow is the greatest contrast of value; use as little white as possible to get the color you want; you want the higher saturation in the most lit area.
Red Ball Demo
Pre-impressionist color theory - used white to lighten
1. Cadmium red light + white for lit side
2. Cadmium red medium for shadow side
3. Cadmium red medium + dioxazine purple for shadow
4. White for highlight
Impressionist color theory - Monet used yellow to lighten the red
1. Cadmium red light + cadmium yellow to lighten the red
2. Cadmium red medium for shadow side
3. Alizarin crimson + dioxazine purple + cadmium red medium for shadow
4. Cadmium yellow medium + white for highlight
1. Cadmium red light + white for lit side
2. Cadmium red medium for shadow side
3. Cadmium red medium + dioxazine purple for shadow
4. White for highlight
Impressionist color theory - Monet used yellow to lighten the red
1. Cadmium red light + cadmium yellow to lighten the red
2. Cadmium red medium for shadow side
3. Alizarin crimson + dioxazine purple + cadmium red medium for shadow
4. Cadmium yellow medium + white for highlight
We look for the color of the object where the light hits it, ask the local color is on the lit side. The shadow is secondary transitions of playful colors; you want to entertain the eye through that part of the painting.
Play in the shadows; do not "play" in the darks
DEMO: go from purple to orange in one value change in the shadow.
Play in the shadows; do not "play" in the darks
DEMO: go from purple to orange in one value change in the shadow.
When you have more clean color in the shadow, the lit side stays away from chalky.
